ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi -- A black-headed gull with what appears to be an arrow stuck in its head has been found in the Kitakami Canal in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture.
Police are investigating the case on suspicion of violation of the Wildlife Protection and Hunting Law, as someone might have deliberately fired the arrow at the bird.
According to the prefecture's Tobu Regional Promotion Office, the gull is about 40 centimeters in length, and the arrow, about 10 centimeters long with a rolled paper shaft, is embedded in the bird's head to the right of its left eye.
A prefectural official tried to capture the gull with a net for its own protection, but it fled. The bird does not appear to have weakened although the prefecture will keep on watching the situation for the time being.
The canal is a habitat of water birds. A local resident found the injured bird on March 28 and reported it to the police. The police are probing the relationship between the case and similar tube-like arrows that have been discovered in the area.
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